An email from Sgt. Ray Bush, with the Fort Worth Police Department, said Jack in the Box employees at the South Freeway location on Sycamore School Road, were scared about the armed men protesting outside of the restaurant.

“They locked themselves inside a freezer for protection out of fear the rifle-carrying men would rob them,” the email stated. “The demonstration had no signage that would have alerted anyone to their real purpose, and to our knowledge they did not attempt to contact anyone in the Fort Worth Police Department to advise us prior to the demonstration.”

Fort Worth police responded to the situation as if it was a robbery.

In the end there were no arrests. Police asked demonstrators to let them know about future protests in advance to avoid situations such as this one.

We respect the rights of all citizens to peacefully protest and the right to bear arms. However, we cannot stress enough how a simple phone call to police prior to this demonstration and the use of easily visible signage could have avoided unnecessarily alarming the public

Texas is thought by many to be the epitome of a “pro-gun” state, although the state is only one of a handful that does not allow handguns to be carried openly. Activists have been making a big push over the last couple of years to change that. Demonstrations where protestors openly carry long guns (which is currently legal) are often used to raise public awareness on the issue.

What are your thoughts on open carry demonstrations as a tool to expand gun rights?